Nantucket Homes

Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #8

by Pamela M. Kelley

It's Fall on Nantucket--and change is in the air!

There's a new arrival to the island. Kay Johnson, a widow, was a friend of Lisa's mother and is like an aunt to Lisa. Kay is excited to relax and enjoy Nantucket—she’s already signed up for a Needlepoint class. She’s not at all looking for romance, but she is happy to make a new friend in neighbor Walter Sturgess, a widower.

When the story begins, Walter's son Travis, CEO of a tech company he founded in Silicon Valley, and his four-year-old daughter, Sophie, are living with Walter until Travis's new home is ready for them to move in.

That new home is being built by Chase Hodges, Lisa's son, and is located on the ocean, next to the home where Victoria grew up--and is now living temporarily with her parents, since she and Sean—her long-term boyfriend and fiancé, broke up.

When she sees Travis for the first time in many years, Victoria realizes he is in a similar place, since his divorce. She didn't even recognize Travis at first. He had to remind her that they'd once dated in high school, before she dumped him for Sean, the star quarterback. Travis is all grown-up now, but even if she was interested in dating, Victoria has never been anxious to have children, let alone take on someone else's.

Meanwhile, Lisa's online food business was growing steadily until recently when she discovered several competitors making copycat lobster quiches and it is affecting her sales. Marley, her marketing advisor, studies the situation and advises what Lisa thinks is a questionable suggestion- but she's willing to give it a try.

Chase and Beth are also dealing with some unwelcome competition, when Chase discovers that he's losing new business bids to an upstart construction company--that is underbidding by such an amount that Chase can't imagine how they are making a profit.

And speaking of babies, Victoria isn't the only one who isn't sure she wants to have children. Now that she and Tyler are married, Kristen has been thinking a lot about that as well.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Contemporary

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2023

About the author

Pamela M. Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women's fiction, family sagas, and suspense. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you'd want as friends.

She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been an avid reader of women's fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There's also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two. :)

Reviews

[Pamela Kelley]

I am so excited for you to read this book. I know it has been over a year since the last one in the series so there is a lot to catch up on. There are a few new characters as well that I hope you love. Kay Johnson is a 72-year-old widow who is a family friend of Lisa Hodges and has come to spend a few months before heading to Charleston for her next adventure. She's feeling a little adrift since her close friends have moved out of state.

She strikes up a friendship with Lisa's next-door-neighbor, Walter, who is a widower about her age. We also meet Walter's son, Travis, a tech ceo that has moved to Nantucket as a single dad with his four-year-old daughter Sophie. He's having a house built by Lisa's son, Chase, right next to Victoria's parent's house where she has been staying since she moved home from Boston to get married--and then her fiance dumped her.

Too bad she's not interested in kids, or Travis could be an interesting match. Lisa is also dealing with competition from copycat lobster quiche makers and Chase is losing business to an upstart construction firm that keeps underbidding on the same projects. There's a lot going on!

Links are below for ebook, paperback and large print. Audio is in production and will be out next month.
Thank you!! I'm so excited for you all to read this story. 😊

Amazon ebook https://amzn.to/3J27bVt

Paperback https://amzn.to/3J7rkK4

Large print https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953060323

Apple ebook https://books.apple.com/us/book/nantu...

Nook ebook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nant...

Google https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nant...

Hope you enjoy! 😊
Pam

P.S. I have some fun foodie release week giveaways going on in my Facebook reader group and newsletter. Join the reader group here, https://www.facebook.com/groups/pamel...

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and I love the series.

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series Beach Plum Cove. The food and the romances and the atmosphere is amazing. I can't book the books down. It was so much fun getting back to all the characters and the new sweet romance of Kay and Walter was so much fun. I loved that Victoria wrote a book. Books a about books are exciting. So, I will just say there is a lot to love in this book.
4 stars and I HIGHLY recommend Nantucket Homes.

[Deb F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nantucket Homes is a real Winner!!

Pamela Kelly never disappoints, Nantuex-fiances is excellent!!! Ms. Kelley adds new characters in every new book but I so enjoy that she keeps all the 'old' characters too. The first book started out with Lisa,a new widow that needs employment. With much encouragement she turns her home into a bed & breakfast and it sits on a cove off of the Atlantic Ocean. Her first guest Rhett, stayed and never left. Rhett, married Lisa in a previous book. Lisa always plays a large interesting part in this series. This one starts out with Kay, an old friend of Lisa's, coming to stay for a couple of months at the B&B. Her life gets very interesting and she falls in love with Nantucket and the friends she makes there. Victoria, who works for the local newspaper and is dear friends with Lisa's kids, is being pushed to get out and date again. Victoria was engaged to a man that lived in Nantucket. They were high school sweethearts and were planning their wedding when out of the blue, he called the wedding off. After a year of learning to be single her friends pushed her to sign up on a dating website. In the meantime she is living with her parents and a new gorgeous home is being built next door. She was shocked to find out the man she was dating before she got together with her ex-fiance was Travis the new next door neighbor. When she saw him the first time back in Nantucket, she didn't even recognize him. She just knew he was taller and much yummier than in high school. When she finds out Travis has a four year old daughter, she cools towards him. You need to read this excellent story to find out if Kay stays or goes on to her next destination. What will happen to Victoria with her online dating, and how she finds out Travis is also on the dating app. This series gets better and better as we all go home to Nantucket once again and look at where our friends lives are headed.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I love Pamela Kelley for the simplicity, lightness, the description of food. It’s basic and it’s makes me happy. But this one was kind of stupid. The dialogue - who really speaks like that? And what was with the Tik Tok obsession? LOL

[Robyn Niederegger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series fulfills all of my coastal grandmother dreams, and this may be my new favorite in the series! Pamela you deserve all the lobster quiche! Loved it ♥️

[Tiffany www.instagram.com/tiffs_bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing new book in the Beach Plum Cove series

I love Pamela M. Kelley's writing style and I love everything she's written so far. Each book just gets better and better.

[Helen Gaye Brewster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this whole series and while I enjoyed this book I couldn’t decide between three stars or four. So I’m calling it a three and a half. The story follows Lisa’s family and friends and adds some new ones. It’s always fun to see what the old characters are doing and meet the new ones. This one focuses on the stories of Kay and Walter, an older couple, and Victoria and Travis. We met Victoria in a previous book and I didn’t like her but she’s much more likable in this book.

The romances are sweet and predictable but I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between Victoria and Travis. I enjoyed Kay and Walter’s story more as they navigated all the changes that go along with losing your spouse and figuring out how to move forward after that loss.

The best part of this book are the descriptions of Nantucket and Charleston. As Kay takes a trip to Charleston we get to go along with her to several delicious sounding restaurants!

And, the book is called Nantucket Homes and we get some lovely descriptions of the characters’ homes, especially the house that Travis has built for him and his young daughter.

There are lots of descriptions of food and recipes and I liked those best of all. I think I read somewhere that Pamela Kelley is writing a cookbook and I hope that’s true!

This wouldn’t be the best book to start the series with, but if you’ve read the others you’ll enjoy seeing what’s going on with all the characters new and old!

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nantucket Homes by Pamela Kelley [Pamela M. Kelley]
Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #8
5h 53m narrated by Leslie Howard, 233 pages

Genre: Romance

Featuring: Nantucket and Boston, Massachusetts; Bed & Breakfast, Family, Cooking, Widowers, Single Father, Real Restaurants, Grandchildren, Online Dating, Authors

Rating as a movie: PG-13 for adult situations and themes

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thoughts: 📱11% 41:09 Ch. 6 - I don't remember these people. I thought there was a single father in the last book, so I'm confused. I'm going to have to refresh my memory, but I sense a continuity switch.
📱11% - I reread the blurbs, and I'm still a bit confused. Is Victoria the ex-wife of Sean, Kristin's ex? If so, shouldn't she have a kid of her own? I'm not going to reread these books, but ma'am, keep your story straight!
📱14% 49:55 Ch. 7 - I forgot about the active duty son that's been stationed decades in Japan with 5 years to go. 🙄 This is just what I need to ignore the mistakes in The House of Eve.
📱15% 55:22 Ch. 8 - Of course, I had to read a preview of The Nantucket Inn. My focus wouldn't let it go. I'm happy to report Kristin's Sean was married to Andrea with a son named Julian so Victoria was married to a different Sean, unless Kelley renamed her and erased the kid, it wouldn't be the first time she's done either.
📱38% 2:15:17 Ch. 18 - Now, Sean has become Todd. 😒
📱50% 2:59:28 Ch. 22 - Yep, Sean is now Todd I even checked the blurb. 😆 I'm just going to enjoy the story.
📱60% 3:32:34 Ch. 26 - Well the single dad with 2 girls was mentioned so I'm not confused anymore. Travis is definitely new.

I was giggling to myself when the early reader in the book told the author she made some mistakes like using the wrong name, but no one caught that same blunder in this book. 😂 Overall I enjoyed the book, I almost loved it but it wasn't that deep. I'm looking forward to the next one. I wasn't ready for the prologue so I didn't enjoy the ending it felt incomplete. I browsed the menu for Fusaro's Homemade Italian. My favorite thing about this series is the use of real restaurants.

Recommend to others?: Yes! There might be errors and too many characters but it's a fun read.

[Courtney Riggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this series! It’s my first ever book series to “read” (I listened) and I couldn’t wait to finish each book and start the next. They were easy to follow along and light-hearted.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

We revisit old and new characters on the island of Nantucket in this soap opera-esque series. This time we are introduced to Lisa's friend's mom a 70 year-old who find love and companionship with a grandpa on the island.

Also Victoria writes a book and seems to become an overnight TikTok sensation and sells oodles of books already. And returning to the island is Travis who is now a wealthy IT guy and his daughter.

Get out the elastic because these pages are filled with delicious detailed meals and wine. If you have a book club, there is no shortage of meals you could prepare for your meetings!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable, quick read. There were mostly the same characters as in previous books from the series but the majority of the (too many) characters who were already familiar took a back seat to the newly introduced characters. The story was nice.

There were the same little things that always bug me about Ms. Kelley's books. She has people go to Nantucket Wharf to meet the boat. That is not the correct name. The boats come into two wharves - Steamboat for the big boats with cars and freight and Straight Wharf for the Hy-line. I don't understand why she won't use the proper name for the wharves.

And for some reason the characters only ever went to The Corner Table for breakfast and lunch (recently closed) and constantly made mimosas from Prosecco. You make Bellinis from Prosecco and mimosas from champagne. Basta.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nantucket Homes is another cozy installment in Pamela Kelley’s Nantucket series, and it delivers exactly what you’d expect—charming seaside settings, lots of family dynamics, and plenty of food descriptions that make you want to join the characters at the table. The Nantucket backdrop is warm and inviting, and there’s a comforting sense of community and connection among the characters that makes it easy to slip into the story.

That said, the book leans a little too heavily on repetition—whether it’s meals, conversations, or familiar plot beats—which made parts feel predictable. While the characters are likable, they don’t always feel deeply developed, and some of the dialogue comes across as a bit stiff or unnatural. Editing and small continuity issues also pulled me out of the story at times.

Overall, this is a light, feel-good read that works best if you’re looking for a gentle escape rather than a story with depth or surprises. Fans of Kelley’s earlier Nantucket books will likely enjoy revisiting the setting and characters, but for me, it didn’t quite rise above “pleasant but forgettable.”

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the 8-book series! Now I'm going to read Gilded Girl, a stand-alonenovel bt Kelley :)

[Kristen Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, another cozy and feel-good read :) The back of the book’s description is nothing like the actual book though! Some details on the back must have been changed in the published story.

[Mary Kamrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Ms. Kelley's books are great, relaxing stories of Nantucket life. I love the continuity of the residents' lives and their continuing dilemmas. Keep up the wonderful story telling!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last of the Beach Plum Cove Inn series - unless the author writes another. Given how nicely wrapped up all the various storyline and relationships are, especially after reading the free short story linked to the ebook that ends with all on New Year's Eve. Here tge second chance at love theme is explored in two ways. First is Victoria, dumped by her longtime fiancé in the prior book, meeting a high school boyfriend, now divorced with a daughter. An added theme explored is having children, and whether Victoria who has never really wanted children, can commit to a man with a child. The other second chance story belongs to seniors Kay and Walter.

Once again, there are irritating editing and consistency missteps with side character names, and here it spread to the plot summaries on GR, Amazon and even NYPL - Victoria's ex is Todd, not Sean. Sean was an eventual ex of a different character in the first 2 books. I wish the author had fact checked and proofed for such glaring errors, as she has her character do: ...and Taylor had caught a few inconsistencies-like using the wrong name... There are other less central wrong character names.

This plot also explores using social media, especially TikTok videos, to promote your books and products. It was very interesting.

You might have noticed that I binge read this series, even with the editing issues that drive me wild. That's because of the authenticity of the Nantucket background. The restaurants, stores, menu dishes, streets everything exist in Nantucket. Except the Rose and Crown Pub seems to hhave dropped Trivia for Karaoke, alas. I googled, a lot. Already plotting an off season escape to check it all out.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know there is a Book #9, but apparently it's tough to find, so I can safely say I am done. And what a relief it is to be done!

This one - oh, wow, maybe the worst of all with editing errors. Ironically, one of the characters here writes a book, and it's specifically noted that she has it edited. Physician, heal thyself!

One of the many annoyances in this book, as well as the series, is the absence of any sense of time. Kay is 72? And a friend of Lisa's mom? Lisa is in her mid (or late, even) 50s by now, since all of her children are in their 30s. If Kay and Lisa's mom were about the same age, Lisa's mom would've been a young teenager when Lisa was born.

Pros: everyone did seem to have a lovely home. The descriptions of the kitchens (don't forget the subway tile and cream colored cabinets!) and built-in bookshelves did make me drool. The constant menus were intriguing (other than the stuffed mushrooms).

Cons: too many to list, but we will start with the aforementioned lack of editing, consistently terrible grammar, obsession with "popping" food into one's mouth or "nibbling" on something (nibbling - euww), and characters that aren't particularly deep.

I can finally close the book (heh) on this insipid series.

[Sherrie Howey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all of the books in this series, I was eager to read her latest book and catch up with the characters from her previous books. The first new character we meet is Kay, a long time friend of Lisa's who has come to spend a couple of months at Lisa's bed and breakfast. Kay is a recent widow and gets involved in the Nantucket community taking needlepoint classes, working at the food pantry and enjoying long beach walks. She meets Walter, who is a widower and they develop a true friendship. At the same time, Walter's divorced son Travis, has recently returned to Nantucket with his young daughter, Sophie. There's "love in the air" for Tavis and Victoria whom he dated briefly when they were in high school.
As with all of the books in this series, it's a joy to be transported back to Nantucket and reunited with characters I have enjoyed from previous books.

[MLMc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the plots in Kelley’s stories. Her characters are realistic and seem like old friends, and the conflicts are logical and believable. However, sometimes the grammar blunders really distract me. I’m sure most people don’t notice them, but I’m a high school English teacher, so they are obvious to me. They’re the kind of errors I’d mark on a student’s essay, such as the improper use of “bring vs. take” (something that sometimes occurs multiple times on the same page of her novels) and using a significant word twice in the same sentence instead of using a synonym or a pronoun to replace it. Those are mistakes that anyone might make, and in the midst of writing, I’m sure it’s easy for an author not to notice them. Grammar mistakes should be caught by proofreaders and editors, and not necessarily by the writer, so it may be time for some fresh eyes to review her books.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute treat but now I’m sad that I have to wait! Pamela does it again.

Every book in this series Pamela takes us through the lives of various characters that are all intertwined while also moving us along and staying updated on the main characters from the other books. There’s no confusion, no sadness, no anger (okay maybe some anger because of that weird woman who just wanted Travis’ money and to get rid of Sophie). We see such a variety of individuals, from all age ranges, go through life things and somehow it just works out for them… I love that we continued to follow Kay throughout her adventure. We knew that she belonged in Nantucket and it was heartwarming to watch her realize it as well.

I can’t wait to continue but now it’s time to venture out to The Restaurant.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Perhaps the final book in this series? Probably time, if I'm being honest. A very quick listen, but honestly I don't think this book was necessary or added much to the series. The stories are becoming repetitive and the books are starting to feel like Kelley is just changing the names from the story line she used in a previous book. Not much original left. I mean how many times can a character overhear another character confiding their worse sins? Kelley sure likes that scene. There wasn't a lot of conflict in this one, but the limited conflict was resolved within a few pages.
Also, if Nantucket is in your title I need Nantucket to be a main character.
A super quick listen while I accomplished tasks and that earned it the 2nd star.

[Jenn O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of the Beach Plum Cove series will enjoy this next installment of drinking wine and making all recipes with "buttery lobster." We revisit characters from the previous seven books and meet some new friends. I enjoyed the older couple's romance -it was sweet and I would have enjoyed reading more about them. There were two side storylines involving the innkeeper, Lisa's, children that I felt muddied the story, it felt like it didn't progress the story progression any. Where these books excel are the family relationships when they are sitting around the kitchen over a glass of chardonnay (of course) and a platter of crackers and cheese.

[Brenda Whidby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria and Kay find live in Nantucket

I love this series. Please don't stop! I'm looking forward to book 9 of 9.
Lisa is a wonderful hostesses. I wish I could stay for a while at her B&B. I have visited the island so I can just about see everywhere they are visiting. Lisa is also a wonderful cook. I can almost smell the butter oozing from the lobster. As you can tell the author of this series is awesome to bring such mental pictures. Please continue with the life of these people.

[Elyse Mcnulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nantucket Homes by Pamela Kelley is book # 8 in the Beach Plum Cove series. This is the last for now and I will miss all the people in this series. This one focuses on Victoria and Travis, Lisa’s quiche being copied, Beth and Chase’s business being under-bid on upcoming construction projects and Kate and Walter’s developing friendship. Everyone else rallies around them providing support and cheering them on. As always, this story gives me the feeling of being on Nantucket and the Cape and provided a virtual vacation. I hope you will consider this series; enjoy.

[Peggy Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down! The story flows, the characters have debth and dimension. I loved every deta

The story flows! The characters have debth, dimension and personality that draws you to them. I love Lisa Hodges cooking and actually ordered the Cinnamon/Spice tea she recommends on Amazon! I didn't want to put the book down and I feel I miss everyone in Nantucket when the it was done. Pamela Kelley is an exceptional writer. I haven't read a book of hers that I haven't liked.

[Bridgett Goldfarb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like to read these books as a palate cleanser after reading something heavier; they are light, pleasant and non-challenging. The writing isn’t great, and way too repetitive, but I can usually look past it. But did nobody notice Victoria’s name suddenly became Veronica for one scene in this book? That bothered me so much, how did that slip through editing? The real kicker, however, was later on when two of the FOUR novelists in the series were discussing how important consistency is when writing and how you need friends to read it to spot errors before it goes to editing. 😳

[Doni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is in the air in Nantucket.
The book is a delightful read
that is a feel-good & moving
story. Meet new friends &
catch-up with old friends.
Kay, a long-time friend of Lisa's
decided to vacation in Nantucket.
While there, she made lots of
new friends.
Victoria, Travis & his daughter moved
back home. Both single, not really ready
for a relationship yet. But friendship is
always a good first step.
I loved every page!!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nantucket Homes is another winner for Pamela Kelley. Her characters are so real. The story line puts you right in Nantucket to follow Victoria and Travis and also Walter and Kay through their trials and tribulations. You laugh with them and you cry with them. You become such good friends with all the residents of Nantucket you don't want to leave them. But things and times change. This book was so good I didn't want it to end. Looking forward to Pamela Kelley's next book.

[Joan Westgate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read the entire series. If you're wondering if you can jump in at any series, I suppose anything is possible but the book would be more enjoyable by starting at #1.
Her books are like a mini-vacation...easy + relaxing. I love her descriptions of food as I love to eat + cook too. The characters become your friends + it's almost like you'd like to step inside her fictional book! 4 **** for this one.